Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Key of Z

Key of Z is a four part comic series set in New York after the zombie apocalypse has occurred.

It follows Nick Ewing’s journey as he copes with the way the world is now: zombie-filled, and gripped by turf wars over the scraps of civilization. Flash backs show us his family, the different ruling factions, and the betrayals that have led him to where he is now.

Nick knows exactly what he wants to accomplish in this new world, and nothing will stop him achieving those goals.

I’ve followed Key of Z as it’s been released each month but, upon receiving my review copy of the final issue (Thank you, Chondra!), I re-read the entire series.

The story is tight, and I found my anger at the behaviour of the survivors, both those in control and those obeying the ruling thugs, grow as I read. The main character, Nick, with an unswaying love for his family and strong ideals of right and wrong, was easy to like, and his story’s path was engaging.

I loved the art in this book, and the way it instantly gave a feel of grittiness befitting a zombie-infested world. The visuals used to show Nick’s methods for dealing with the zombies looked great and was easy to differentiate between, which was never more important than in the final issue.

If you haven’t picked up any of Key of Z yet, grab all four issues and read them without break. I enjoyed them even more that way than the standard, but ever-tortuous, month-long wait between issues. If you have been following along as they’ve been released, I highly recommend re-reading the entire series in one go, also.

Watching the rulers carve out their territories, Nick and Eddie meeting each other, and the way the series ends, is even more brilliant in a condensed timeframe.